It’s funny that I say that the Florida Marlins have more World Series title then some teams do that have been around baseball for a lot longer than they have. In 1997 and 2003 they won the World Series and were one of the best teams in the National League but year after year after year they gave away their team to start over because they could not afford to keep great players in their system. Its player like Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Lowe, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, and now Dan Uggla will join this list of players who made the Marlins a really good team. In 2011 things don't look that great for the Fish.
The 2011 pitching rotation for the Marlins isn't all that bad but the end of their rotation isn't all that great either. They do have an ace in right hander Josh Johnson who had the lowest earn run average in the NL and the second lowest in baseball. Johnson at the end of 2010 did have an injury that cost him to miss the end of the season, but Johnson is just what the Marlins need to start off this rotation in which a division they play in (The NL East) is full of great pitching. Johnson I wouldn’t say is a power pitcher
but is someone who knows how to control is stuff and locate his pitches very well. In 2010 Johnson had an ERA of 2.30, 11 wins, 6 losses, and 186 strikeouts. Followed up by Johnson is Ricky Nolasco who is someone if he could just put it all together he would be a great number two starter. Nolasco, I think could be the Fish's power pitcher if he just gets his act together. Nolasco in 2010 posted an ERA of 4.51, 14 wins, 9 losses, and 147 strikeouts. Next is a Anibal Sanchez who is still pretty young at the age of 26 but he's another guy on this team who hasn't really turned into the pitcher the Fish needed him to be. He had another average year in 2010 with a 3.55 ERA, 13 wins, 12 losses, 157 strikeouts; they will need more out of him down the road in 2011. After that it's really up to a flip of a coin who will be their four and five starters between Javier Vazquez who they got during the offseason and Chris Volstad. Both of these guys aren’t that good of pitchers although Vazquez with the Braves two years ago did have a really good year, maybe pitching in the American League is just not where he belongs, because when he pitched for the White Sox and Yankees he just looked like he didn't know how to pitch.
Vazquez is definitely a power pitcher; if he could only get his head put on straight he would be really good number two or three starter. As for Volstad he just isn't that good of a pitcher, in fact I could really see him being moved to bullpen and losing his spot in the rotation this year. Yes he is still really young at 24 but maybe this kid just isn't a starting pitcher at this level. In 2010 Volstad had an ERA of 4.58, 12 wins, 9 losses, and 102 strikeouts. Vazquez who pitched for the Yankees had an ERA of 5.32, 10 wins 10 losses, 121.
After the lost of second baseman Dan Uggla who was a free agent signed with the Atlanta Braves this offseason the Fish have really no power in their line-up. They do have young talent power on the way although rookie players shouldn't be the ones to count on to win a division title at this level. The Marlins still do have their best player on their team in shortstop Hanley Ramirez who will be asked to be that leader in the ball club as he is one of the oldest players on the Marlins. Not in age but as for being part of this team for 5 years now.
This guy right he is probably, wait I take that back, is one of the best shortstops in the baseball. No, Ramirez hasn't won a World Series title, but he has batted over .300 or more in his career and only once in 2006 he hit .292. He is probably one of the best player the Marlins brought into their system, a trade the Boston Red Sox made that a lot of people thought was a bone head move, trading away Josh Beckett and Mike Lowe for him didn't turn out so bad, although Beckett and Lowe did win another World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2007. So it was a WIN - WIN for both teams. Ramirez in 2010 batted .300, 21 home runs, 76 RBI's. Over at first baseman they have a pretty good hitter in Gaby Sanchez. Sanchez at 27 is still pretty young but will be that number four batter in the line-up this year with no more Uggla and will be asked to be their power hitter. He does have some power in his bat but he is more of an RBI guy which isn't the worse thing either because he will have more chances to drive in more runners ahead of him. In 2010 Sanchez hit .273, 19 home runs, 85 RBI's, look for him to have a better year in 2011. In right field they have star player in Mike Stanton who turned in a great rookie season and was runner up for NL Rookie of the Year. This kid is the future of the Marlins and will someday be that "Hanley Ramirez" of the team.
A guy that will always be that guy to step up in key moments and I know it's a lot to ask for from a second year player but when this team has young player on their team they have to count on them. Stanton last year batted .259, 22 home runs, and 59 RBI's as a rookie. Over in left field they have another rookie player in Logan Morrison who took over for Chris Coughlan spot last year who got injured. Morrison is a good young player who has speed and can hit pretty well, there are still some unknown things about him we haven't yet seen and in 2011 I think if he gets the chance to play every day we will see what this kid can do. In 2010 he hit .283, 2 home runs, 18 RBI's. Last on the list is new second baseman Omar Infante who will take over for Dan Uggla, now he's not going to be a Dan Uggla but I do think he will do the job nicely. Infante is an old veteran player who plays the game well and is a good contact hitter and doesn't strikeout a lot, expect him to bat second in the Marlins line-up this year. Infante hit .321, 8 home runs, and 47 RBI's in 2010.
So the Fish in 2011 don't really look like a team to really worry about. Their pitching staff isn't that much to worry about, they really don't have a bullpen and their line-up has a lot of holes in-between hitters and if you’re a pitcher on the opposing team it will be easy for them to get a lot of their young players out. I think the Fish will finish in last place in the National League East division, and this was the team that finished in third place last year. They just didn't really do much this offseason to help them get better for 2011.
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